How to make homemade gefilte fish

Amarante

Sun, Feb 12 2023, 9:50 am

This is a good recipe from Joan Nathan which is more for "modern" cooks since it uses a food processor to make the fish mixture and doesn't make a fish stock with the bones as the very traditional recipes specify.

As you probably know there is a geographic line running somewhere in Poland dividing very sweet gefilte fish versus those in the more southern areas which don't.

My Bubbe and mother used whitefish and carp. Some modern recipes use salmon.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: About 20 patties

2 medium yellow onions, peeled
2 celery stalks
3 large carrots, peeled
1 fennel bulb
6 black peppercorns
2½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
1½ pounds boneless, skinless salmon, whitefish or striped bass fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
½ pound boneless, skinless trout, pike or carp (or a mixture of two), cut into 2-inch pieces
10 chives
3 tablespoons chopped parsley, tarragon, dill and/or a combination
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 to 6 tablespoons matzo meal
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 head radicchio or endive, or both, for serving
Prepared horseradish, for serving

PREPARATION

Fill a large, wide pot with 10 cups of water and place over high heat. While bringing to a boil, coarsely chop and add to the pot 1 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot and the fennel bulb. Add the peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt. Once water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, while preparing the fish.

Coarsely chop the remaining onion, celery stalk and 1 carrot, then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. Add fish, chives and 2 tablespoons parsley, tarragon and/or dill, and keep pulsing until fish is chopped but not mushy.

Move the fish mixture to a medium bowl and add eggs, oil, matzo meal, 1½ teaspoons salt (or more to taste) and the ground black pepper, and mix well with your hands.

Put your hands in a bowl of cold water. Using your hands, mold the fish mixture into a 3- by 2-inch oval patty (about 2 ounces) and gently place on a platter. Repeat with the remaining fish mixture, dipping your hands in water as needed. Chilling the mixture before forming helps make it easier to form patties.

Pop the third carrot into the simmering broth and gently add the patties to the pot. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until patties are firm.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the fish and carrot from the poaching liquid to cool on a plate. Slice the carrot diagonally into thin rounds.

Place each patty on a leaf of radicchio or endive or both. Set the sliced carrot rounds on top of each patty. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of fresh herbs and serve warm or at room temperature with horseradish, preferably homemade. If making a day ahead, refrigerate, covered, then return the patties to room temperature before serving.

Amarante

Sun, Feb 12 2023, 9:51 am

This is a more elaborate recipe with homemade fish stock but you might find the elaborate steps to be informative. If you want a sweeter fish, google a recipe for Ashkenazi Sweet Gefilte fish

The required equipment is fairly minimal. You’ll need a food processor for the fish mixture, a large stock pot for the fish stock, and a large straight-sided skillet for poaching. If you don’t have a straight-sided skillet that’s large enough (12” is ideal), then you can use a large Dutch oven. The basic method is this: For the stock, blanch the fish bones first and rinse them, which helps eliminate impurities and will make a less fishy stock. The bones are then simmered with leek, onion, carrot, celery, and a bouquet garni. When the stock is lightly golden and perfumed, it's done—about 45 minutes is all it takes. Straining the stock through cheesecloth will give you a beautiful clear broth, which gets set aside at a simmer while you make the mousse. The fish gets cut into pieces and pulsed in batches in the food processor until it's finely ground. To that you add eggs, lots of sweated aromatics, and seasoning.

Homemade Gefilte Fish

Ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you, remove the skin and pin bones, then hack up the bones. That’s why they’ve got the waterproof apron and stainless steel equipment back there, right? The size of the individual whole fishes doesn’t matter—just make sure you have about 7 pounds total.

Stock

Step 1

Separate dark-green leaves from leek; wrap thyme, parsley stems, bay leaves, and peppercorns in leaves and tie closed with kitchen twine; set aside. Slice remaining pale-green and white parts of leek in half lengthwise.

Step 2

Fillet fish to yield 3 lb. meat, reserving bones. Discard pin bones. Cut bones into large pieces; reserve fillets (a fishmonger comes in handy here!).

Step 3

Place bones in a large stockpot; pour in cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, drain immediately, and return bones to pot. Add cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Add onion, celery, carrot, wine, and pale-green and white parts of leek; reduce heat and bring to a simmer. Add reserved leek bundle to pot. Season lightly with salt and simmer until stock is pale golden and fragrant, 40–45 minutes. Remove from heat and remove aromatics and large fish bones with a slotted spoon; discard.

Step 4

Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large straight-sided skillet; bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low and keep warm while you prepare the fish.

Step 5

Do Ahead: Stock can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Gefilte Fish

Step 6

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium. Cook onion, parsnip, and leek, stirring often and reducing heat as needed to prevent vegetables from browning, until onion is translucent and vegetables are very soft, 10–12 minutes. Let cool.

Step 7

Meanwhile, cut reserved fish fillets into 1" pieces. Working in 3 batches, pulse fish in a food processor until finely ground (pluck out any errant pin bones you find). Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 8

Pulse eggs, salt, sugar, white pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, and cooled onion mixture in food processor until mixture is frothy and mostly smooth with only a few bits of onion still visible. Pour over fish and mix with your hands to incorporate. Scatter matzo meal over and mix in with your hands until homogenous (be careful not to overmix; otherwise, mixture will be dry and crumbly after it cooks).

Assembly

Step 9

If making quenelles for individual servings, hold 2 large spoons (they should be the same size) in each hand and scoop out about ⅓ cup fish mixture with 1 spoon. Holding spoons parallel to one another, place edge of empty spoon over fish mixture and, while rotating the empty spoon, scoop fish mixture out of first spoon. Repeat motion several times, passing fish mixture between spoons, to make a smooth football-shaped scoop (a quenelle) and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. You should have 25–30. (Alternatively, you can use a 2½-oz. ice cream scoop to make uniform balls.)

Step 10

Working in batches (about 10 per batch), gently lower quenelles into simmering stock with a slotted spoon and poach until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to another rimmed baking sheet and tent with foil to keep warm.

Step 11

Add carrots and pearl onions to stock and simmer until tender, 10–12 minutes.

Step 12

Divide carrots and pearl onions among bowls with slotted spoon and add 2–3 fish pieces to each bowl. Strain fish stock again through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, if desired, and divide among bowls. Top with dill and serve with lemon wedges and horseradish alongside.

Step 13

If making large fishes for family-style serving, line 4 large plates with parchment. Transfer about one-quarter of fish mixture to 1 plate. Using wet hands or gloves, form into the shape of a fish (make sure it will fit in skillet with stock). Repeat with remaining fish mixture and plates.

Step 14

Working with 1 fish at a time, carefully lower into simmering stock, using parchment paper to help you (if your skillet is large enough, add another fish). Poach, turning once if not fully submerged, until cooked through, 7–10 minutes. Using 2 long spatulas, transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

Step 15

To serve, transfer fish to a platter and slice ½" thick. Arrange dill alongside and serve with lemon wedges, capers, horseradish, and matzo.

Step 16

Do Ahead: Gefilte fish can be poached 2 days ahead. Let fish and stock cool, then transfer to a wide, shallow baking dish, making sure fish is submerged. Cover tightly with foil and chill. Reheat fish and stock over medium-low.

Raindance

Sun, Feb 12 2023, 3:57 pm

I do it simpler.

I buy two carps, tell the fishmonger to fillet and grind twice one of fishes.
Cut off the head and tale and clean the second one, and cut it into steaks.
Aask to get both head, tales (and bones from the fillet fish) You can also ask for extra bones if they have...

I get home, mix the preground one with one shredded onion, one egg and some matza meal. salt and pepper, sugar to taste. shredded carrot is optional.

Make balls with wet hands and put into the steaks in the hole. Wrap each in a parchment paper and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Then cook the heads and bones with carrots, onions and celery, salt, pepper and sugar. Drop the frozen fish with parchement paper into the boiling water and let it simmer so it does not fall apart until cooked. two hours.

Notes: .
It makes about six different sizes proper gefilte, and possibly some extra balls. (you can also freeze the extra balls or make one log wrapped in parchement paper)

Don't add too much water, or you won't get a good zaft/jelly.

in my great aunts recipe, it says to take out the onion after one hour of cooking to prevent bad smell. (to each their own)

Here is the real recipe, but I use carp instead of whitefish, and I measure approx, not by scale.

For filling:
2 lbs white fish
2 medium onions
3/4 cup matza meal, or 1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
salt + white pepper to taste
1/2 cup water

For sweet fish, add 2 heaping ts sugar and one grated carrot

For zaft:
fill small pot with water, not so much
put few carrots
celery
half an onion (too much makes the fish smell)
A bit of suger
salt
pepper